This invention is directed to a solid-state laser and more particularly to a XeF-excited laser crystal which is co-doped with divalent ytterbium and a trivalent rare-earth ion.
It is well known in the art that laser cavity systems consist of three main components, a lasing medium, pump radiation, and reflecting surfaces. Laser systems may be chemical, solid state or gaseous. They may be optically pumped, electronically excited, or chemically excited. They may be operated at room temperature or at nitrogen temperature. They may operate inside or outside the visible spectral region. They may be high power or low power. Such laser systems have been developed using a variety of elements, compounds, gases or fluids. All laser systems have one thing in common, they emit coherent radiation. Coherent radiation refers to the organization of energy waves emitted by stimulated atoms so that the waves travel in the same direction, at the same frequency and in step with the stimulating radiation.
Heretofore laser emission at different wave lengths has been reported in an article, "Stimulated Emission From PrCl.sub.3 ", by K. R. German, et al., in Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 22, No. 3, Feb. 1, 1973, pp. 87-89. This work involved a tunable pulsed dye laser pumped by a nitrogen UV laser and a crystal of PrCl.sub.3. It has been determined that dye lasers have poor operational life in the excitation wavelengths required and the incoherent sources have poor efficiency. Thus, it is desirous to provide a better arrangement of elements for achieving inversion in solid-state rare-earth materials for blue-green laser operation.